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Joseph A. Ianora

Joseph Ianora, principal on special assignment at Campbell Union High School District, has been an educational leader for more than 35 years, guiding schools by fostering learning communities for students, staff and parents. He has been lucky enough to hold almost every position within a school site, from custodian up to principal and everything in between. He has worked with inner city schools and suburban districts, and he has K–16 experience with an emphasis on high school.

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Joseph A. Ianora

Joseph Ianora, principal on special assignment at Campbell Union High School District, has been an educational leader for more than 35 years, guiding schools by fostering learning communities for students, staff and parents. He has been lucky enough to hold almost every position within a school site, from custodian up to principal and everything in between. He has worked with inner city schools and suburban districts, and he has K–16 experience with an emphasis on high school.

Joseph began his career at an all-boys high school in the Bronx, New York. He later moved to Oakland, California, where he continued his teaching and counseling career, working with inner city students. He moved into administration and became principal of San Ramon Valley High School in 2004. Under Joe’s leadership, San Ramon Valley High School was consistently named a top performing school by US News and World Report and a California Distinguished School in 2006, 2009, and 2012. It was also a blue ribbon school and was ranked 88th of 2,200 schools in California for its academic program and student engagement.

Joseph’s vision of leadership centers around supporting students and their learning as well as staff and their work. He has found that engaging students, staff, and parents in an ongoing learning dialogue creates a transformative educational environment. He strives to engage school and community stakeholders in developing clear and shared beliefs within a highly collaborative, student-centered culture. Joseph is deeply committed to helping educators, students, and parents understand the transformational power of resiliency and balance in a student’s life. Joseph uses this passion to bring his presentations to life.

In addition to being a national presenter, author, a coach for Solution Tree and professional learning communities, and a father of three adult children, Joseph has many years of experience helping schools reduce stress, foster resiliency, and create healthy engagement for students. He has worked with site administrators as an educational coach for the past 10 years and has converted schools into places of safety and learning.

Joseph received an undergraduate degree in philosophy, psychology, and theology from Saint Mary's College of California and a master’s degree in counseling from the same institution. He holds a Pupil Personnel Services Credential, an Administrative Services Credential, and is a certified educational coach and a licensed marriage and family therapist.


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Presentations by Joseph A. Ianora

  • PLC 101: Let’s Get It Started
  • Collaborative Teams: How Do We Make This Work?
  • Help Our Team: Creating and Sustaining High-Functioning Teams
  • The High School PLC
  • The Healthy, Engaged Student
  • PLCs for Singletons and Small Schools
  • So Many Personalities, How Do We All Get on the Same Page?
  • Archaeological Dig: Uncovering Hidden Habits That Hinder or Help School Culture
  • Tightrope Walking: Building Capacity and Resiliency in a PLC

“Our virtual coaching sessions with Joe Ianora are going very well. He has been a great help as we develop our PLC. I have appreciated his work and think his professionalism and ideas have been perfect for us.”

Karen E. Branham, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, Jefferson County Public Schools, Kentucky

“Joe Ianora was awesome. My team really enjoyed the coaching. They really understood the purpose of a SMART goal. I really thought it was very beneficial. Looking forward to more coaching from him.”

Monica Austin, principal, Pike Elementary School, Fort Smith Public Schools, Arkansas

“Each of the coaching sessions went very well! Joe did a great job of addressing teachers’ questions and giving them opportunities to brainstorm. I also appreciated how he encouraged the teams to add structure to their ideas by having them identify the next steps, including an accountability partner. It was powerful!”

Shantell Mullanix, Federal Programs Director, Heritage Community Charter School, Idaho

“We are extremely grateful for Joe’s coaching this year. He supported our secondary administrators with their PLC efforts, and we could not have asked for a better coach. Joe has been flexible and accommodating to our needs. He listens and then provides meaningful resources at the ready. He is also masterful at using questioning to stretch our thinking. It has been a pleasure.”

Gerri Marshall, research and evaluation, Red Clay Consolidated School District, Delaware